Athletic Sponsorship

12/20/2011

Above: logo for the Brooks ID program. Brooks has been my running shoe sponsor since 2009.

Finding Sponsorship Opportunities

Here are links to the articles I've written on the topic of athletic sponsorship for both my Bike Diva and Run Diva blogs. I will keep this page updated as I write future articles on the topic of athletic sponsorship.

Above: example of a photo that would be appropriate to include with your sponsorship application. Potential sponsors usually want to know your past racing history going back 2-3 years. My triathlon suit and run hat are from my sponsor Profile Design. The shoes I'm racing in are by Brooks, my running shoe sponsor.

Do Your Homework

Please note, the exact details of individual sponsorship opportunities changes from year-to-year. Do your homework and make sure to thoroughly research the companies you are interested in applying to before sending in your sponsorship application.

12/19/2011

2011 was an epic year for me. Despite an extreme water phobia, I started swimming in January so I could begin competing in triathlons. I did my first swim at our local YMCA on January 3, then raced my very first triathlon on February 6. I participated in a total of 19 races in 2011, including 9 sprint and one Olympic distance triathlon.

I am sponsored by a few companies that help me out with either free or deeply discounted clothing and equipment. At the end of every year I send out a sponsored athlete race recap, to let each sponsor know the details of all the races I competed in, my race results and tentative race schedule for the upcoming year.

I personalize the beginning paragraph of the race recap according to which company I am sending the report to.

I just wanted to thank XXX for sponsoring me during the 2011 race season and I am looking forward to continuing to work with XXX for the 2012 race season. I will be placing an order after the first of the year for some additional XXX product to be used throughout the 2012 training and racing season.

I am including a summary of the races I participated in during the year, a copy of my tentative schedule for the 2012 race season, along with a couple of recent racing photos to this email.

Exciting news; I have just agreed to head the volunteer committee for the 2012 Palm Beach Marathon Bike Patrol. The Bike Patrol is comprised of volunteer cyclists that ride the course during the race and help out runners as needed. I will be working with the event organizers to improve the race for 2012, while finding cyclists to volunteer to be members of the Bike Patrol.

I start planning my schedule for the following year in the early fall for a number of reasons:

The companies I am trying to obtain sponsorship from for the 2012 race season usually accept applications in the fall for sponsorship the following year. Every potential sponsor needs a general idea of the events you plan on doing.

I am married with children and need to plan my training and racing around my husbands work schedule and daughters school schedule.

I am not independently wealthy, and as an amateur athlete, I have to pay the entry fee to all my events. Being on a limited budget I have to decide which events are the most important to me each year.

I live in south Florida and could easily race year round. But that would be a recipe for disaster. Everyone needs an off season to rest and recuperate from their main racing season before gearing up their training for the next racing season. I was exhausted at the end of 2010 after doing 22 events, so I am trying really hard to scale back a bit. Fewer races should mean those races are better/faster than going slow and suffering when doing too many events.

Above: showing off my bike in the transition area of the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon.

Bike Diva's 2011 Races

As you can see, I still have a few races left to go for 2011. My "A" race of the year, the one which is the most important to me, takes place on November 13. I will be competing in my first half Ironman distance triathlon at Miami Man, 6 days before my 48th birthday!

This is a very preliminary schedule. I don't have any dates yet for the Club Med series of triathlons or any of the Multirace.com triathlons. I'm not sure if I will commit to doing my first full Ironman distance triathlon the end of 2012 or 2013. If I don't do Ironman in 2012 then I will do the half Ironman again at Miami Man in lieu of Ironman Florida.

Also, if my swim confidence has improved, then I'm looking at NOT doing as many Multirace.com events as I usually do and adding in some of the bigger tris, such as Miami International, Nautica South Beach or Escape to Miami to my schedule. BUT I will have to get over my fear of bridges, Miami triathlons are full of stinking bridges.

Also, my local chapter Team in Training is talking about doing the Moab century ride next September. That is a 100 mile road bike ride in the mountains in Utah. My husband is one of the Team in Training cycle coaches, so if Moab is a go, then I'll be training for that event in September in lieu of doing Nation's triathlon.

The Disney half and full marathon (AKA Goofy Race & a half Challenge) are the only events that I have already registered for in 2012. I am doing Goofy with my local chapter of Team in Training to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This leaves a lot of room for changes and additions to the schedule. But potential sponsors for 2012 race season need to have a general idea of what events I plan to race so I put together this tentative schedule.

Above: my least favorite part of triathlons, the swim. I've only been swimming since January 3, so I guess I'm doing okay for just getting into triathlons. I am like a fish out of water in the water - LOL!

Additional Sponsorship Information

Here are links to articles I've written on obtaining sponsorship for amateur athletes:

08/26/2011

Above: my husband and I at a local 5k race. I am wearing my Team Odwalla race kit.

I started racing a few time trial bike races back in 2008. In 2009 and 2010 I added running into my workout routine and started competing in 5k, half marathons and a lot of duathlons. 2011 became the year of the triathlon as I finally bit the bullet and got over my fear of the water.

Above: Bike Diva booth at the 2010 South Florida Bike Expo. The banner includes logos of all the companies that sponsored me for the 2010 race season.

Bike Diva's Sponsors

Since 2008 I have had a few companies that sponsor my race efforts by sending me free and deeply discounted athletic gear, clothing and nutritional products. On February 24 of last year, I wrote a comprehensive article on how to go about finding sponsorship opportunities: How-to Find Sponsorship Opportunities.

2012 Sponsorship Opportunities

It's that time of year again. I have just started filling out sponsorship applications for the 2012 race season. The majority of companies that offer sponsorship opportunities accept applications in the fall for sponsorship the following year. Here are a few sponsorship opportunities you may want to apply to for the 2012 race season.

If you can get onto one of the triathlon teams, you have it made. Instead of having to apply for individual sponsorship for bikes, wheels, clothing, sunglasses, helmets, nutritional items, shoes, etc... you have access to all the gear from the companies that sponsor the triathlon teams. I don't think I'll ever make it onto Team TriSports or the Timex Multisport Team, but it doesn't hurt to try.

2012 Team Trisports Application - looking for 30 top age group athletes to join their triathlon team.

Timex Multisport Team - a team of around 50 top age group athletes, both amateur and professional, ranging in age from 18 to 57.

Smith Optics -Interested in becoming sponsored by a company that makes sunglasses and goggles? Here is the link to the sponsorship information page for Smith Optics. They accept applications in the following disciplines; bike, wakeboard, skateboard, ski, surf, snowboard, kayak and motorsports.

Hammer Nutrition - Hammer Nutrition makes a complete line of nutritional products such as gels, recovery drinks, supplements, etc... They sponsor a wide variety of athletes.

04/06/2011

2011 marks my 4th season of racing. My complete racing schedule can be viewed on the Bike Diva blog: Bike Diva's Races. I have a few companies that sponsor me, by sending me free or discounted equipment, gear and sports nutrition products. I've written on the topic of athletic sponsorship a number of times on the Bike Diva blog:

I've watched the Ford Ironman Triathlon Championships, which take place in Hawaii every October, for the past few years. I've noticed quite a few of the pro athletes were running in KSwiss running shoes and wearing KSwiss triathlon outfits. I've also seen ads for KSwiss running shoes in Triathlete Magazine.

Always on the look out for possible sponsorship opportunities, I visited the KSwiss website to see if they had any programs available for amateur athletes. Besides their full product sponsorship programs, which they offer to professional athletes, they also offer a variety of pro deal discount programs to amateur athletes.

Above: KSwiss women's triathlon shorts and triathlon top in the USA color scheme.

Each program offers up to 50% off the retail price of KSwiss footwear, clothing and accessories, along with limited offers exclusive to members of the program. Members must purchase at least one product package per year to maintain their membership. If you qualify for any of these sponsorship programs, you can fill out an online application on the KSwiss website.

K-Team Preferred Player Program

USPTA and/or PTR certified teaching professionals.

Juniors with a top 25 USTA Sectional Ranking or a top 200 National Ranking.

Adults with a Top-10 sectional, Top 50 National singles ranking in Open or Age Group play or Top-5 sectional or Top-10 nationals in doubles.

Current collegiate players with proper documentation from school.

Endorsed referral from a K-Swiss advisory staff member.

K-Fit Preferred Fitness Program

Certified personal trainers.

Affiliates of major health and fitness associations.

Regular competitors in fitness events.

Endorsed referral from a K-Swiss advisory staff member.

K-Fast Preferred Triathlete/Runner Program

Year-round event competitors.

Affiliates of major triathlon and/or running associations.

Age groupers with a Top-20 placement at a major racing event.

Current collegiate or high-school runners with proper documentation from school.

Endorsed referral from a K-Swiss advisory staff member.

Above: close up of KSwiss Blade-light running shoes. This is the Bike Diva's new go to shoe for her triathlon and duathlon races. Easy on/off, no need to wear socks. Will make for some speedy T2 transition times.

01/19/2011

I started racing in time trial bike races in the beginning of 2008. On December 2008, I competed in my very first half marathon, at the Marathon of the Palm Beaches. In 2009 I discovered the sport of duathlon; run-bike-run. I have a variety of triathlon, cycling and running events scheduled for the 2011 race season. My current race schedule can be viewed on the Bike Diva's Races page.

Bike Diva's Sponsors for the 2011 Race Season

I would like to thank the following companies, for their support during the 2011 race season:

01/18/2011

Bike Diva Tries Wetsuit

Profile Design Likes Bike Diva

I am pleased to have Profile Design on board as one of my sponsors for the 2011 race season. If you've been following my Bike Diva blog, you know that after 2 years racing duathlons, I have decided to start competing in triathlons in 2011. My tentative 2011 race schedule can be viewed on this blog: Bike Diva's Races.

Profile Design makes a fantastic line of products for cyclists and triathletes. They make a variety of aerobars, wheels, water bottles and clothing for the multisport athlete. I just received my first shipment of Profile Design gear last night including the women's sleeveless Wahoo wetsuit.

Above: Profile Design sleeveless women's Wahoo wetsuit.

Wetsuit Legal Races

Although I live in hot and humid south Florida, any triathlons held during the spring and fall are usually wetsuit legal. So as soon as I knew I was going to start racing triathlons, a wetsuit was high on my list of priorities for new gear to acquire in 2011. Profile Design makes many full sleeve wetsuits, but I decided since most of my racing will be taking place in Florida, at least for my first season of triathlon, that a sleeveless wetsuit made the most sense.

Above: the Bike Diva fondling her new Profile Design Wahoo wetsuit, while rocking her Profile Design tri top and shorts.

Shamu Imitation

Trying on my wetsuit for the first time was like doing an impersonation of Shamu. You know, that cute killer whale at Sea World. Only I didn't look quite as cute. I think the wetsuit made me look at least 10 pounds fatter, and the pictures of me in the wetsuit add another 10-20 pounds, so yes "that beyatch is HUGE" comes to mind when I uploaded the pictures of me modeling the wetsuit. Very attractive, NOT. I don't know what I thought I was going to look like in a wetsuit. Maybe because it fits "tight like sausage" I thought it would make me look skinny, like I was wearing a giant black, full body girdle? Who knows what strange thoughts go through my head at times.

I had a bit of a struggle getting into the wetsuit for the first time, I guess that's why you practice a few times getting it on/off before showing up for your first race. I can also see I will be making LOTS of new friends at my races: "Can ya'll give me a hand with my zipper?" Finally got it zipped up by myself but felt like a pretzel trying to twist my arms behind my back to get it zipped up. It came off a lot easier, just undid the velcro closure, zipped down the wetsuit and stepped out of it inside out. Pretty nifty.

Above: gansta' Bike Diva in da house - WOOT!

Glide Bike Diva Glide

We have a small in ground pool in our backyard, underneath our screened porch. It's not a big enough to do any kind of lap swimming, that's why we joined our local YMCA last month, to use their indoor lap pool. But it does make a good pool for working on improving your swim technique and testing out new equipment.

I kitted up with my new Profile Design elite crop top, elite tri tank and elite tri shorts. Why do I need both a crop top and tank top? I am NOT a petite athlete, I always double bag the girls (ta-tas) whenever running will be involved. I guess you skinny chicks could go around flaunting your six packs and get away with just wearing a crop top, but until I get at least another 20-30 pounds off this goddess body, that just ain't gonna happen.

So anyways, after kitting up with my Profile Design tri outfit, I put the wetsuit on. Then added a swim cap and goggles and went for a quick swim splash in our pool. The wetsuit is da bomb! Makes my legs really floaty, to the point where it was really awkward doing the breast stroke while wearing it. I am a brand new swimmer, just started swimming middle of December, so I am still getting used to being in the water. I'll breast stroke, side stroke, doggy paddle, whatever it takes to get through my first triathlon. But, the wetsuit made freestyle almost enjoyable. Since your legs are so much higher in the water while wearing the wetsuit, any stroke besides freestyle seemed a bit odd.

Above: Bike Diva modeling her full body girdle, errrr, wetsuit.

Final Wetsuit Conclusion

So I'm pretty stoked about getting my wetsuit. Can't wait to try it during an open water ocean swim or two. The ocean was 63? this past weekend. Couldn't get my husband interested in taking me for my first ocean swim, hopefully we'll go within the next week or two. I'll certainly be toasty when we finally go, I've got a wetsuit, YEAH BABY!

11/29/2010

ABOVE: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, racing up William Powell Bridge on the Rickenbacker Causeway, at one of the Mack Cycle Trilogy sprint duathlons held on Key Biscayne, Florida.

Race Bike Diva Race

From time-to-time I like to compete in a few cycling, running and multi-sport events. Duathlons, which are a run-bike-run format, are my favorite type of race. Of the 22 events I participated in this year, 13 of the races were duathlons. Here's a listing of awards that have been bestowed upon the Bike Diva during the 2010 race season.

Above: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, with her 2010 Miami Man finishers medal and second place age group giraffe trophy.

In addition to the individual events I competed in, I also participated in two points series. If you completed at least 4 of the 9 Publix Family Fitness events, you qualified for the points series for those races. And if you completed at least 3 of the 4 Mack Cycle races, you qualified for the points series for those races.

I did 6 of the Publix Family Fitness sprint duathlons, and placed 1st place women 45-49 in that points series. I raced in all 4 of the Mack Cycle sprint duathlons, and placed 3rd female masters overall in that points series. Female masters are the top three fastest duathletes over 40 years old - AWESOME!

Above: Bike Diva's Publix Family Fitness points series award.

Other Bike Diva Events

I did a total of 22 races and events this year. As you can see in table at the beginning of this post, I won an award at 15 of those events. The remaining events were either not races, such as the Intracoastal Waterway Century bike ride, or running only events, where I am no where near the podium. I like to race against me, myself and I, so as long as I'm about the same or improving compared to my last race, I'm pretty happy with all of my results.

This years Miami Man 1/2 Ironman duathlon, which was a 1mile run - 56 mile bike - 13.1 mile run event, was a huge improvement for me. I raced Miami Man for the first time last year, with an total time of 6 hours 50 minutes and 59 seconds which was good enough for 3rd place masters overall. This year my time was 6 hours 1 minute 36 seconds, a huge improvement of 49 minutes and 23 seconds!

Above right: Bike Diva on the podium at 2010 Miami Man.

Although my finishing time was much better this year, it was only good enough for 2nd place in my age group. There were a lot more people competing in the duathlon this year at Miami Man. I was really happy with my improvement over last year. I've lost a few pounds since last year, started meeting with a personal trainer three times per week, to work on upper body and core strength, and did a whole lot more biking and running compared to last year.

Above: Bike Diva information booth at the South Florida Bike Expo.

Bike Diva's Sponsors

I'd like to give a shout out to all of my sponsors that helped me out during the 2010 race season:

Aquaphor

Brooks

Fluid

Lock Laces

Mission Skincare

Motor Tabs

Rudy Project

Sock Guy

Sugoi

Above: The Bike Diva at the 24th Annual Delray Beach Turkey Trot. Although I am not a very fast runner, this was a 5k PR for me with an official finish time of 27:22.

2011 Race Season

It's a little too early to know what my race schedule will be for 2011. I know that Miami Man is scheduled for November 13, and I plan on doing the 1/2 Iron distance duathlon again. I want to improve my Tri Miami Olympic distance duathlon time, I finished with a time of 3:08 this year and want to be able to go sub 3 hours at that event in 2011. Tri Miami was held in May this year, but they haven't posted up the date for 2011. I will most likely compete in many of the south Florida Multirace.com duathlons, like I did this year, and am waiting for them to post up the schedule.

Above: Team in Training logo.

Team in Training

We are trying to get our local chapter of Team in Training to participate in the Honolulu century ride. That is a 100 mile road bike ride which takes place on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the month of September. Team in Training is the main fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In the past 5 years, my husband and I have participated in 5 century bike rides with our local TNT chapter, and have raised over $22,000 for the society during that time.

Contact Bike Diva

I would love to hear about your 2010 race season and/or any plans you have for the 2011 race season. Leave a comment at the end of this blog post, or send me an email: lynn@bikediva.net.

09/16/2010

Above: Just a small sampling of the shoes a runner will go through in a typical year.

Budget Your Athletic Expenses

Although I've been a cyclist for about 7 years, 2011 will be the beginning of my 4th race season. I started running about 3 years ago, when I decided I wanted to start competing in duathlons and a few half marathons.

Somewhere along the way I decided to look into possible sponsorship opportunities. I was born in 1963, so my racing age will be 48 years old for the 2011 race season. I wasn't expecting much, at my advanced age, and not being an Olympic hopeful, but I figured nothing ventured is nothing gained and sent out a few sponsorship proposals. Read my article How to Find Sponsorship Opportunities for details on how to write a sponsorship proposal and find sponsorship opportunities.

Now that I have a few years of racing under my belt, I am realizing I am quite young. I've raced against girls in their late 60's and men in their late 70's, and they are still kicking butt! You are never too old to start racing. I think the fact that I participate in so many races, over 20 this year, and am a freelance writer with two sports related blogs, probably helps my chances of getting sponsored.

Above: Examples of a few personal care products used by athletes.

Yearly Athletic Budget

For 2011 I am looking into possibly getting a few monetary sponsorships. Right now my sponsorships are either in the form of free gear or a Pro Deal Discount on products. But I have quite a few expenses and would like to be able to compete in the USAT Duathlon National Championships which take place in Tucson, Arizona in 2011 and 2012. So I decided to come up with an athlete budget which I could include in my sponsorship proposal, to show potential sponsors where their $$ contributions are needed.

Lynn Smythe Yearly Athlete Budget

Race entry fees

Gas and vehicle expenses

Meals

Personal trainer and/or coaching fees

Club memberships

Books and Magazine subscriptions

Nutrition and hydration

Personal care products

Shoes and clothing

Bike equipment and maintenance

Airfare

Bike shipping

Hotels

Above: Two aero hydration systems by Profile Designs.

Break Down of Athlete's Expenses

1. Race entry fees. I like to go over the previous years races, decide which ones I want to race in next year, drop the races I didn't enjoy, and add a list of new races I'd like to participate in for the upcoming race season. Local 5k events aren't too bad; around $25-$40 per race, but some of my bigger events, like the Miami Man half Ironman duathlon cost $280 or more to enter. My 2010 race entry fees came out to around $1,000.

2. Gas or vehicle expense. Might just be easier to figure out your total miles driving to and from your events and then figure on a per mile rate for gas and vehicle maintenance. In 2010 the IRS is allowing you to deduct 50 cents per mile as a business vehicle expenses. I'm not saying you can deduct 50 cents per mile on your tax return for all the driving to/from your events; I'm just trying to figure out a way to guesstimate your athletic related vehicle expenses for the year.

3. Meals. Some of my events are an hour or more drive to and from my house. I try to bring all my necessary fluids and food with me, but sometimes you just have to pull into the nearest convenience store for a cold drink or stop at a restaurant on your way home to enjoy some real food. Gel packs, shot blocks and electrolyte drinks get old after awhile. And if you are getting a hotel room a day or two before events that are further away, you will definitely want to figure out your cost of meals, drinks and snacks while away from home.

4. Personal trainer and/or coaches fees. I started with a cycling coach at the beginning of the year. He was a great coach, but as my main focus is on duathlon racing (run-bike-run) a cycling coach really wasn't what I was looking for. The coaching was also done online and through phone calls, I am more of a one-on-one type of person. I started going to a personal trainer a few months ago, to work on my upper body and core strength and I absolutely love it. I was working out at home a few times a week, but having the weights and equipment right next to my laundry room just didn't work out that well. I always felt guilty about working out when there was a huge mountain of stinky clothes staring at me.

I started out going to the personal trainer twice a week for 1/2 hour at a time, but I have recently gone to 3x per week. Personal trainers are NOT cheap. Mine charges $80 per hour for individual sessions or $70 per hour if you sign up for 3 hours at a time. So it costs me $210 every two weeks for 6 half hour sessions. So assuming I don't take any time off for vacations, my yearly personal training budget comes to $5,460 - YIKES! My cycling coach only charged $50 per month plus a yearly $100 setup fee; but the triathlon multisport coaches I've been researching charge anywhere from $200 to $400 per month, so I guess my personal trainer fees aren't that far out of line.

5. Club Memberships. Do you belong to any cycling, running or triathlon clubs? My husband and I belong to a couple of local bike clubs which charge a yearly membership fee to each of their members. One of the bike clubs is through a local bike shop. You get a 20% store wide discount, excluding bikes, for being a member of the club. Definitely worth the $30 yearly family membership fee.

Above: Fluid makes a great protein/carb recovery drink to have after your intense training sessions and races.

6. Books and Magazine Subscriptions. I go to the bookstore every few weeks to see which issues of my favorite magazines have come out. It can get a bit pricey to buy individual copies of magazines, so you might want to look into getting a yearly subscription to your favorites. I subscribe to Triathlon Magazine, but still buy individual copies of certain issues of Inside Triathlon, Trail Runner and Runner's World. I might eventually get subscriptions to those magazines in the future.

Have you purchased any sports related books to help with your training and racing? Keep records of your yearly purchases and figure that into your athletic budget. I am a book NUT, I try to find discounted copies of books through Amazon.com and occasionally get free review copies of sports books to review for my Bike Diva and Run Diva blogs.

I am relatively new to racing, so right now I'm in the sponge stage. I can't get enough of cycling, running and triathlon magazines and books. Here is a list of books I purchased in 2010:

The Triathlete's Training Bible

Zinn & the Art of Triathlon Bikes

The Athlete's Plate

Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes

Racing Weight

Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running

Marathon; The Ultimate Training Guide

Training and Racing with a Power Meter

The Slow Fat Triathlete

Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete

The Triathlete's Guide to Bike Training

The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training

7. Nutrition and hydration. For all your sports related food and drinks. Electrolyte powders, salt tablets, recovery drinks, protein bars, gel packs, shot blocks, etc... I go through a ton of this stuff every year. I have a few sponsors that have given me a Pro Deal Discount on various nutrition products so I have a closet full of nutrition and hydration products on hand at all times. In lieu of sponsorship, try buying in bulk, i.e. full cases and canisters of products instead of individual packages.

8. Personal care products. Do I have to spell it out for you? Here is a list of some of the personal care products I use on a regular basis:

Chamois butter - to prevent chaffing and saddle sores while on the bike

Body Glide - to prevent chaffing while running.

Sun screen - I live in south east Florida and go through a TON of sunscreen each year.

Lip gloss - I try to use one with a SPF of 15 or higher.

Bio Freeze - or similar product. To rub on sore muscles during and after long training sessions and century bike rides.

Adult wipes - Action wipes or similar product. To do a quick wipe down of muck and grime after riding. Especially nice if you are out on the mountain bike trails, miles away from indoor plumbing.

Travel size Kleenix. I can't tell you how many races I've been to and there is no toilet paper in the porta-potties. I've even been to events with indoor plumbing, and again no tp when you need it. Maybe guys can get away with the shake it off and put your junk back in your shorts method, but most girls need a bit of paper to get the job done. TMI?

9. Shoes and clothing. Figure out you yearly expenses for cycling shoes, running shoes, running hats, socks, jogging bras, shorts, tops, racing uniforms, etc... I go through a ton of running shoes per year, but my road bike shoes and triathlon bike shoes should last a couple of years. Clothing and equipment eventually wears out and will need to be replaced. I also figure out expenses for things like compression sleeves and quick laces into this category. And do you need to put your sponsorship logos on your race uniforms? Then you will need to research companies that will make customized clothing for you at a decent price.

Above: Most runners, cyclists and triathletes will want to invest in a good run and/or bike computer with heart rate monitor.

10. Bike equipment and maintenance. Unless you are a pro cyclist or triathlete, you shouldn't need to get a new bike every year. But your bike will need at least a yearly tune up, unless you know how to do that yourself, and certain items on your bike will need replacing and/or upgrading on a regular basis. I own three bikes, a Felt Breed single speed cyclocross bike, a Trek Madone 6.5 carbon fiber road bike and a Cervelo P2C triathlon bike. Right now I do all my racing on the tri bike, so I only figure in expenses for that bike into my yearly racing budget. Here's a few items to consider adding to your yearly bike budget:

Tune ups - yearly or more often if you do a lot of racing

Tubes and CO2 cartridges - unless you are blessed with never getting a flat tire, you will need a few inner tubes during the year. I ride clincher tires on my tri bike, if you ride tubular tires, you can eliminate this expense.

Tires - tires don't last forever, I usually replace mine at least once per year. And you might want a couple of sets of tires depending on the various training and racing conditions you will encounter throughout the year. I race with red Michelin Pro 3 Race tires on my tri bike, they retail for around $55 to $65 each; that's over $100 per set of tires. But these tires last FOREVER!

Misc. bike components - water bottles, water bottle holders, bike bags, lights, etc... You should be able to get a few years out of these items, but they will eventually need replacing. And my dishwasher occasionally melts my water bottles, or the bottles get launched into never-never-land when you hit a big bump.

Helmets - I wear a road bike helmet for training and one of those funky aero helmets while racing. I crashed on my road bike a few months ago, no big deal, but after a close examination of my helmet I noticed three hairline cracks. That helmet got trashed and I had to get a new helmet. Good road bike helmets can cost upwards of $100, my current helmet retails for around $185, and my aero helmet was around $300. Luckily I have a Pro Deal discount from Rudy Project for cycling helmets and sunglasses.

Sunglasses. I guess this could be put in the clothing and shoe category but good cycling and running glasses can cost a bit of $$$$. I put sunglasses in the bike expense category, all my sunglasses are cycling specific but can also be used for running. Most of my sunglasses have interchangeable lenses so I can change out the lens depending on weather/sunlight conditions.

Bike upgrades. New set of wheels, aerobars, etc... I've got some really nice bikes, but I'm always drooling over the latest and greatest equipment upgrades I see in magazines.

Electronic gadgets. Cycling computer, run computer, multisport computer. I was using a Garmin Edge 305 cycle computer while biking, and a Tech40 run computer while running and walking. I recently misplaced the cycle computer, and as I have a birthday coming up, I decide to indulge in my wish to own a Garmin Forerunner 310XT multisport computer with heart rate monitor. It is pretty cool. It is water proof and can be used for run, bike or swim workouts. It even has a multisport setting, which will be perfect for recording all my data during my duathlon races. This piece of equipment, while pricey, should last you many years. The Garmin Forerunner 310XT retails for around $400, shop around online to find the best price.

11. Airfare. Are you doing any out of state or out of country events? Then you will want to figure in airline expenses into your yearly budget.

12. Bike shipping. Again, you only need to figure this expense in if you are flying to out of state or out of country events. Check the ads in the back of triathlon magazines or do a search online for bike shipping companies. Might be cheaper and more secure than having the airlines ship your bike.

13. Hotels. For far away events. Out of state, out of country, or even in state events that are more than a few hours drive from your home.

Above: The Bike Diva's road bike prior to upgrading the wheels. I crashed on this bike at the beginning of the year and tacoed the back wheel. I'm now riding this bike with a pair of Easton EA90 SLX road bike wheels - NICE!

Contact the Bike Diva

Leave me a comment at the end of this blog post. I would love to hear about your yearly athletic budget. Are there any major categories that I've forgotten that you think should be added into a typical athletes budget? Maybe conferences and clinics? I guess if you are traveling to Interbike or attending a special training session by a famous athlete/coach you will want to add that into your budget.

After writing this blog post, I realize I have caviar dreams and champagne wishes on a happy meal budget. Do most amateur athletes have similar expenses or am I pro racer wanna be!?! Luckily my freelance writing income covers most of my training and racing expenses, but I was really hoping to start saving up that $$ to use a a down payment on a house in North Carolina. Bummer.

06/17/2010

On June 2, I blogged about the South Florida Bike Expo and mentioned that I will have a table setup for the Bike Diva blog at the expo. I've been thinking about getting a banner made, with the Bike Diva logo which also includes the logos of all my current sponsors.

Bike Diva Banner

At the top of this post I've included a photo of what the banner will look like. I will have it attached to the front of the tablecloth of my display table. The table will include Bike Diva freebies including Bike Diva stickers, magnets, pins and business cards. I'll also be able to use the banner attached to my Easy-Up tent at any
outdoor events I do.

Mission Skincare Samples

In addition to the Bike Diva items I will be handing out at the expo, I will also have samples to hand out from Mission Skincare including:

Anti Friction Cream

Lip Protector

Coupons good for $2 off purchase off Mission Skincare products

If you are attending the South Florida Bike Expo, stop by the Bike Diva booth and say hello!